Bylaws of ngf
The bylaws were adopted in 1974, and revised 1983, 1990, 1997, 2002,
2006, 2012, and 2016
§ 1. Vision
1.1. The mission of the Nordic Gerontological Federation (NGF) is to
support, organize and expand gerontological research, development and
education within and among the Nordic countries and to collaborate with
other organizations with shared visions in the European and
international gerontological community
1.2. Newsletters and the NGF website constitute the primary medium for
internal and external communication of NGF affairs, activities in
member organizations, and other matters of relevance for the Nordic
gerontological community.
1.3. NGF arranges the Nordic Gerontological Congresses bi-annually,
with following sequence: Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Norway, and Iceland.
§ 2. Membership
2.1. NGF is an umbrella federation based on member organizations in
each Nordic country.
2.2. National organizations and associations can apply for membership
to the NGF Board. National member associations are presented on the
website and in the Newsletters.
§ 3. NGF Board and Executive Committee
3.1. The NGF Board is formed by each member association that appoints a
Board member for a two-year period, starting at the board meeting
arranged in conjunction with a Nordic congress. A deputy for each
member association should also be appointed.
3.2. NGFs Executive Committee consists of and is chaired by the
president of the preceding congress , the president of the next
congress (1st Vice chair) and the president of the previous congress
(2nd Vice chair). In addition, the Secretary General (or person with
comparable function) at the preceding congress is also a member of the
Executive Committee. The succession and the term of office is the two
year inter-occasion period between congresses.
3.3. In case Executive Committee members become unable to execute their
tasks, Board members shall decide on a new representation of the
Executive Board.
3.4. On behalf of the Board, the Executive Committee is responsible to
accomplish the goals defined by the Board and other activities in line
with the NGF mission statement.
3.5. The Board decides on the location of the Secretariat, and appoints
a Secretary that also has the role of a Treasurer.
3.6. The Secretary shall be a member of one of the Member Associations.
The Board decides the period of office of the Secretary.
The period can be extended.
3.7. The Board and the Executive Committee can take decisions if more
than half of the members are present. All decisions are valid by simple
majority. The Chair has the decisive vote in case of even votes.
3.8. The Board meets in connection with each Nordic Congress in
Gerontology. Members shall be notified more than 2 months in advance of
the meeting. If three or more members of the Board wish to have an
extra meeting, it is the task of the Chair to notify other Board
members. Extra meetings can be arranged through telephone conference.
Decisions can be agreed upon per capsulam.
§ 4. Scientific committee
4.1. NGF's Scientific Committee consists of members from each country
representing different research fields. The scientific committee
comprises 5 representatives from each country.
4.2. NGF cannot prescribe the specific disciplinary orientation among
committee members, but encourages member organizations to secure
inter-and multidisciplinary orientation among the representatives and
in order to cover:
• Biological and Medical Sciences
• Health Sciences
• Behavioural and Social Sciences
• Humanities
• Social Research, Policy, and Practice
4.3. The national member organizations elect members to the scientific
committee for a two-year period.
4.4. The task of the Scientific Committee includes reviewing submitted
congress abstracts, contributing to the newsletter and providing advice
to the Board.
4.5. The Committee meets with the Board after each congress, to discuss
experiences of the congress content and to evaluate the scientific
program according to NGF's mission. The Committee is expected to
provide advice to the organizers of the next congress.
§ 5. Economy
5.1. The NGF is non-profitable scientific organization. The membership
fees are paid by the national member organizations and shall cover
NGF's running costs.
5.2. The membership fees are based on the number of members within each
member organization.
5.3. The membership fee amount is decided by the Board and the amount
is set for a two-year period. Decisions regarding membership fees need
to be approved by representatives of the national organizations. A
written proposal for a change of membership fees must be distributed to
the national member organizations at least two months prior to a Board
meeting.
5.4. The budget term starts on January 1 at a congress year and ends on
December 31 the following year
5.5. The national organization(s) hosting a Congress is/are legally
responsible for the congress budget and other finances associated with
the congress.
5.6. A surplus after a congress shall be divided equally between NGF
and according to a predefined agreement among the national organizers.
Half of any deficit from a congress is covered by NGF, but only given
that the Executive Committee previously approved the calculated
break-even budget for the congress.
5.7. Potential grants and donations from public and private
institutions are administered by the Executive Committee and the Board.
§ 6. Evaluation and approval of NGF's
activities
6.1. The national member organizations shall evaluate NGF's activities.
The Executive Committee shall provide Activity and Budget reports to
the Board. The representatives of the national organizations decide
whether the Executive Committee can be granted discharge.
6.2. NGF’s bylaws shall be confirmed by the representatives of the
national member associations. Changes of the bylaws can be adopted at
the Board meeting provided no member association has any objections.
6.3. The Executive Committee and the Secretary appoint a bookkeeper for
budget auditing. The financial accounts shall be presented at the Board
meeting and approved by the representatives of the national member
organizations.
7. Dissolution of NGF
NGF can only be dissolved in case of a unified decision among all
national member organizations. If so, remaining funds and grants shall
be divided between the national member organizations in proportion to
the number of members therein, as long as the assets are not bound by
any specified principles.
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These regulations have been approved by NGF's local member
organizations in October, 2016, after a recommendation from the Board
on June 19, 2006.
